Your humble blog author is too lazy to decorate for the holidays, but loves seeing all the lights up around the neighborhood. We usually have "trash disasters" at the dumpsters when people toss out all the boxes their gifts came in, and the old stuff they replace.
It will help if you crush boxes and wrapping as much as possible. And if you can wait until the Wednesday pick up to throw packaging away, that will keep the dumpsters from overflowing, too.
Also, if you have perfectly good stuff that you don't need that someone else might want, you can often get someone to come get it from you. I have gotten rid of a large couch and chair by putting an ad on craigslist. My trash really was someone else's treasure.
In other news, our second attempt at an annual HOA meeting happens January 18th. That's on a Thursday, which is not the usual day of the week we meet. This is the meeting we'll elect the board members for next year.
One board member is moving so she has resigned. That leaves one seat we know needs filling. And all the positions are up for grabs every year, so if you want to help improve your community, run for a spot on the board. Just email the property manager, and let her know of your interest.
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
HOA Annual Meeting TONIGHT
The St. Charles Place HOA has its annual meeting tonight. This is when the board passes the budget and elects the board of directors for next year. The proposed budget keeps the monthly dues the same as 2017. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the usual location at the office of Excelsior Property Managment, 6554 Krycul Avenue in the Krycul Business Center. See the map below.
If you can't make it, you can scan and email your proxy form to StCharlesPlaceHOAManagement@TampaBay.rr.com by 4 p.m. today.
If you can't make it, you can scan and email your proxy form to StCharlesPlaceHOAManagement@TampaBay.rr.com by 4 p.m. today.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Recycling Dumpster Will Go Away
The HOA board last night agreed to get rid of the recycling dumpster in the community. Too often people have put trash into it instead of recyclables. That meant that we paid extra for recycling things that wound up in a landfill anyway. And we had to pay more for regular trash pickup.
Getting rid of the recycling bin, of course, does not help the consistent issue we've had with excessive trash in the other dumpsters. The board directed the community manager to work with Waste Management to see if any place in the community would suit adding another dumpster.
The board will also look for nearby places that take recyclables.
We are on pace to pay nearly $39,000 for garbage pickup this year. Some of the problem comes from people - some who don't live here, and some who do - dumping things like furniture, barbecue grills and bicycles at our trash sites.
If you need to get rid of large items, you have several options.
Put an ad on craigslist. Seriously! I got rid of a couch and a living room chair that way. They were not in pristine condition, but for free, it was worth enough for someone to come with a truck and take them away for me.
I also donated a TV to the Salvation Army that they came and picked up. You have ways of getting rid of things you don't want without trashing your community.
If those don't work, you should to take large items to one of the facilities Hillsborough County has that accepts them. Here's the information from the county's website:
When and where to take appliances and bulky items
- Days & Hours
- Monday through Saturday
- 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for customers who are hand-unloading
- 7:30: a.m to 5:30 p.m. for customers with automatic dump trailers
- Locations
- Alderman’s Ford Solid Waste Facility
9402 County Road 39
Plant City, FL 33567 - Hillsborough Heights Solid Waste Facility
6209 County Road 579
Seffner, FL 33584 - Northwest County Solid Waste Facility
8001 W. Linebaugh Ave.
Tampa, FL 33625 - South County Solid Waste Facility
13000 U.S. Highway 41
Gibsonton, FL 33534
- Alderman’s Ford Solid Waste Facility
What to bring
- Photo ID showing the residential address of the property owner
- One of the following:
- A printed copy of your annual Hillsborough County Property Tax Bill showing your current solid waste assessments
- Your smartphone or tablet to show the on-site attendant your annual Hillsborough County property tax bill
- If you are not the property owner but are authorized to deliver residential solid waste on behalf of the property owner, please present an acceptable Community Collection Center Access and Use Authorization Form to the on-site CCC Attendant.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
HOA Meeting Tonight
I normally try to post these sooner, so my apologies for that, but we have an HOA meeting tonight. It starts at 7 p.m. at the usual location at the office of Excelsior Property Managment, 6554 Krycul Avenue in the Krycul Business Center.
Friday, September 8, 2017
Warning: Hurricane Coming
Disclaimer: a St. Charles Place homeowner writes this blog. Though I currently serve as the HOA board president, the thoughts below are mine alone.
UPDATE: As of 11 a.m. Friday, we are under a hurricane watch, with hurricane warnings just to our south. A hurricane watch means hurricane winds are possible. A warning means they're expected.
The National Weather Service issues a hurricane warning "36 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds to allow for important preparation," according to its website. It issues a hurricane watch 48 hours of when it anticipates tropical-storm-force winds in an area.
I have posted warnings about this storm on the HOA's Facebook page, which you can see even if you don't follow it at Facebook.com/StCharlesPlaceHOA. I will continue to post updates there as time and cell service allow.
Hurricane Irma has come close enough that forecasters feel confident that we'll get a good smacking from it. Hurricane watches are in effect for Florida's west coast as far north as Manatee County as of 8 a.m. today. Meteorologists don't know for certain exactly where Irma will strike until it makes its turn north sometime Saturday.
We are still within the cone of possibility for a direct hit.
Even if it goes up the center of the peninsula, as the current track suggests, this storm is so massive and so powerful – 150 mph sustained winds as of this morning – that we will get tropical storm if not hurricane winds and torrential rain.
I will evacuate. We've had to sue KB Home, the company that built our homes, because of construction defects. According to the engineer who examined our buildings, we live in structures not only not built to current code standards, they weren't even designed to code. He warned that our buildings would not survive a strong wind event. Like the one we're about to get.
It's getting late, but there's still time to get out. I have collected vital documents, family photos, valuables, clothes, medicine, and toiletries, and will ride out the storm at my parents' house in Pasco County.
Here are some good resources to track the storm: If you still need to make a disaster kit: If the power goes out, our lift station will stop running. This is the thing that pumps all the community's sewage out to the county's sewage lines. If electricity stays off for any length of time, eventually our toilets won't flush.
Please leave nothing on your front porch or back patio that could become a projectile in a strong storm. Even a doormat could fly away, block a storm drain and cause flooding. We do seem to have a good drainage system. As long as our drains stay clear, we should not have flooding.
The community pool will close today, as the management company prepares it for the storm. It will drain some water from the pool, and any pool furniture that won't fit in the cabana's storage space will go into the pool, where it won't become a hazard.
After the storm, the property manager (whose contact phone number is on the right-hand column of this page) will assess any damage we have. It does have a plan, but you'll need to be patient. Excelsior Community Management is based less than a mile from us, and its employees live locally too. They might might their own crises that occupy them. They also have other communities they must tend to.
UPDATE: As of 11 a.m. Friday, we are under a hurricane watch, with hurricane warnings just to our south. A hurricane watch means hurricane winds are possible. A warning means they're expected.
The National Weather Service issues a hurricane warning "36 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds to allow for important preparation," according to its website. It issues a hurricane watch 48 hours of when it anticipates tropical-storm-force winds in an area.
I have posted warnings about this storm on the HOA's Facebook page, which you can see even if you don't follow it at Facebook.com/StCharlesPlaceHOA. I will continue to post updates there as time and cell service allow.
Click the image to enlarge it.
Hurricane Irma has come close enough that forecasters feel confident that we'll get a good smacking from it. Hurricane watches are in effect for Florida's west coast as far north as Manatee County as of 8 a.m. today. Meteorologists don't know for certain exactly where Irma will strike until it makes its turn north sometime Saturday.
We are still within the cone of possibility for a direct hit.
Even if it goes up the center of the peninsula, as the current track suggests, this storm is so massive and so powerful – 150 mph sustained winds as of this morning – that we will get tropical storm if not hurricane winds and torrential rain.
I will evacuate. We've had to sue KB Home, the company that built our homes, because of construction defects. According to the engineer who examined our buildings, we live in structures not only not built to current code standards, they weren't even designed to code. He warned that our buildings would not survive a strong wind event. Like the one we're about to get.
It's getting late, but there's still time to get out. I have collected vital documents, family photos, valuables, clothes, medicine, and toiletries, and will ride out the storm at my parents' house in Pasco County.
Here are some good resources to track the storm: If you still need to make a disaster kit: If the power goes out, our lift station will stop running. This is the thing that pumps all the community's sewage out to the county's sewage lines. If electricity stays off for any length of time, eventually our toilets won't flush.
Please leave nothing on your front porch or back patio that could become a projectile in a strong storm. Even a doormat could fly away, block a storm drain and cause flooding. We do seem to have a good drainage system. As long as our drains stay clear, we should not have flooding.
The community pool will close today, as the management company prepares it for the storm. It will drain some water from the pool, and any pool furniture that won't fit in the cabana's storage space will go into the pool, where it won't become a hazard.
After the storm, the property manager (whose contact phone number is on the right-hand column of this page) will assess any damage we have. It does have a plan, but you'll need to be patient. Excelsior Community Management is based less than a mile from us, and its employees live locally too. They might might their own crises that occupy them. They also have other communities they must tend to.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Emergency Water Shut Off
Water has been shut off to the community for emergency repairs on Johanna Ave. That's all the info. we have right now. (This is as of 2:45 p.m. Thursday.)
Thursday, July 20, 2017
"Why Don't They Fix That?"
At the St. Charles Place HOA meeting last night, someone wondered why a broken street light had not been replaced. If you see something wrong and wonder, "why don't they fix that?" Ask! Just email the board at board@stcharlesplace.us and/or the property manager at StCharlesPlaceHOAManagement@TampaBay.rr.com.
Remember, your board members are just fellow homeowners who volunteer to try to solve problems. They don't see everything. Chances are that if no one has addressed a problem, it's because neither a board member nor the property manager has noticed it yet.
It could be something as simple as the irrigation looking funny, or an area where all the grass has died. Tell someone. Not only are you not bothering them, alerts from residents help them get things fixed or improved.
In the case of street lights out, you can report the problem directly to TECO. Just make a note of the number on the pole (the photo below shows one of the big tall lights. The shorter ones on black poles also have an ID number on them).
Then fill out a simple form on the TECO website and they'll get to it. It can take a while because they do repairs on a rotating basis, so if they have just come through the community, it could be a few weeks before they return.
Remember, your board members are just fellow homeowners who volunteer to try to solve problems. They don't see everything. Chances are that if no one has addressed a problem, it's because neither a board member nor the property manager has noticed it yet.
It could be something as simple as the irrigation looking funny, or an area where all the grass has died. Tell someone. Not only are you not bothering them, alerts from residents help them get things fixed or improved.
In the case of street lights out, you can report the problem directly to TECO. Just make a note of the number on the pole (the photo below shows one of the big tall lights. The shorter ones on black poles also have an ID number on them).
Then fill out a simple form on the TECO website and they'll get to it. It can take a while because they do repairs on a rotating basis, so if they have just come through the community, it could be a few weeks before they return.
Monday, July 17, 2017
HOA Meeting Wednesday
The St. Charles Place HOA board meets only every other month now, and this is the other month, so it meets Wednesday. It has a fairly light agenda so the board has time to hear any issues you'd like to raise. Start time is 7 p.m. Location is the office of Excelsior Property Managment, 6554 Krycul Avenue in the Krycul Business Center.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Emergency water shut off
From our property manager at 10:12 a.m. today: "Emergency water repair behind a building on Marble Fawn. We are shutting the water off to the community. Hope to have it back up as soon as possible."
UPDATE: As of 12:20 p.m. the water is back on. The problem is a sewage leak from a pipe behind Marble Fawn which continues. It should get fixed in a few hours. Until then, please conserve water as much as you can. All the wastewater essentially runs into one of our ponds right now.
Also, if you ever see any water running where it shouldn't, or anything else that looks like it needs immediate attention, call the property manager's office at 813-349-6552 and leave a message. They do respond to emergencies after hours and on weekends.
UPDATE: As of 12:20 p.m. the water is back on. The problem is a sewage leak from a pipe behind Marble Fawn which continues. It should get fixed in a few hours. Until then, please conserve water as much as you can. All the wastewater essentially runs into one of our ponds right now.
Also, if you ever see any water running where it shouldn't, or anything else that looks like it needs immediate attention, call the property manager's office at 813-349-6552 and leave a message. They do respond to emergencies after hours and on weekends.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
HOA Meeting Tonight
HOA meeting tonight! 7 p.m. at 6566 Krycul Ave. That is in the same complex as usual, just another door down.
Thursday, January 19, 2017
St. Charles Place Is Not Part of Lake St. Charles
Please know that St. Charles Place has no relation to the Lake St. Charles community across US-301 from us (behind the Winn Dixie), and we have no right to use their private walking trail or other amenities. Their property manager wrote to us asking that we let our residents know this because they have had people from St. Charles Place trespass on their property, and even had new homeowners here ask for access cards because someone falsely told them that they were part of the Lake St. Charles CDD.
They do have a nice community over there. Unfortunately, it's not part of ours.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
HOA Meeting Tonight
Our first of 2017! It has a fairly light agenda so the board has time to hear any issues you'd like to raise. Start time is 7 p.m. Location is the office of Excelsior Property Managment, 6554 Krycul Avenue in the Krycul Business Center.
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
NOTICE: Water Shut Off Friday
UPDATE: It's 10 o'clock Friday NIGHT that the water goes off, and could stay off until 6 o'clock the following morning.
Water to the entire community will shut off Friday (January 13) at 10 p.m. and stay disconnected possibly until 6 a.m. Saturday morning. Hillsborough County Public Utilities says that it needs to do this while it hooks up water for the new storage facility next door. Residents will get notices posted on their doors. A boil water advisory begins after that, probably for 24-48 hours, during which you will need to boil any tap water you intend to drink, prepare food or brush teeth with.
Water to the entire community will shut off Friday (January 13) at 10 p.m. and stay disconnected possibly until 6 a.m. Saturday morning. Hillsborough County Public Utilities says that it needs to do this while it hooks up water for the new storage facility next door. Residents will get notices posted on their doors. A boil water advisory begins after that, probably for 24-48 hours, during which you will need to boil any tap water you intend to drink, prepare food or brush teeth with.
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